The globally renowned designer is known for his beautiful, practical tableware and barware that’s used in some of the most exclusive hotels and restaurants around the world. As the company looks towards boosting its presence in the giftware arena, we ask Nick Munro Holdings Ltd’s MD Alex Beveridge what retailers can expect from this innovative, seriously stylish company
Q: Alex, for those who haven’t caught up with the brand recently, what’s Nick Munro best known for?
A: All of our products are designed by award winning British designer Nick Munro and created with the aim of crafting superbly stylish items for the home that serve their purpose with perfection. We aim to weave together style and functionality in items that are built to last and look as good as the day they were bought, many years into the future.
Q: Is Nick still involved with the company?
A: Nick is very much still involved as our designer and source of creative inspiration, but is also pursuing his passion for design with his studio company and collaborating with some of world’s best brands.
Q: Nick Munro products are used in some of the world’s top hotels and restaurants. When did the company move into the retail environment?
A: The company actually started its journey in the retail space, but hospitality became our focal point over the past few years due to the demand we were facing. We are really only just re-entering the retail market and I think there is a big opportunity for our customers to be some of the first stockists in the country. Our products truly were designed with the home in mind, so we naturally wanted to bring things back to where they began.
Q: Is there a typical customer?
A: We find that our strongest audience are women between the ages of 25-54
Q: Has the past year with all its restrictions and lockdowns seen an increase in interest for your ranges?
A: Yes, both our barware and coffee ranges have seen a huge increase in interest recently. I think this is largely driven by a desire for people to recreate experiences at home. For example, we can no longer visit our favourite coffee shops, so finding a way to enhance our coffee drinking experience at home has become more important. Home bars have also been a big trend this past year for the same reason.
Q: Any ranges that have done particularly well?
A: The Queen’s tea range was born out of Nick Munro’s official commission to design a teapot for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Coronation in 2013. The original, a solid silver teapot with a gold crown, now sits in a glass case at Buckingham palace for all to see but none to touch.
Now everyone can own their very own version with the Queen’s tea range and drink tea like the queen at home. Manufactured in the UK, the range consists of two teapots, a teaspoon and a tea infuser ball for loose leaf tea lovers available in stainless steel or silver plate with a gold plated crown.
The Trombone barware range was inspired by the beauty and detail of brass instruments and the sounds and atmosphere at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London. Every line and curve has been carefully designed to be reminiscent of jazz instruments and blends modern elegance with service level functionality perfect for the home bar or drinks cabinet.
The range consists of a cocktail shaker, ice bucket, wine cooler, champagne cooler and water pitcher and is available in mirror-polished stainless steel, gold or bronze finishes.
Q: Any special offers/services for new customers?
A: We have lowered our minimum order value this year and we are now offering drop shopping facilities which we have never done before. We want to be as supportive as possible to our customers because we understand how difficult this year has been for business.
